


a walking disaster

by ohallows



Series: tumblr prompts collection [14]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Platonic Relationships, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:28:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23985337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohallows/pseuds/ohallows
Summary: The plates of food in front of them glisten as steam pours off of the meat pie in front of them. Around the ballroom, the sound of forks and knives clatter against plates, muffled only by the sound of loud conversation and laughter. A band plays in the corner, some rousing melody that Sasha doesn’t recognize but that’s got her tapping her foot regardless.
Relationships: Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan & Sasha Racket
Series: tumblr prompts collection [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584370
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	a walking disaster

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kimabutch (CWoodP)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CWoodP/gifts).



> prompt: "formal events are not my thing these shoes are new and this is a very long staircase at least you were at the bottom to break my fall I’m so sorry" Sasha and Hamid?
> 
> so i (again) kind of switched up the prompts in that sasha does not like formal events and hamid has the shoes. also ik u don’t like modern au but i hope post-canon au is fine?? ily

The plates of food in front of them glisten as steam pours off of the meat pie in front of them. Around the ballroom, the sound of forks and knives clatter against plates, muffled only by the sound of loud conversation and laughter. A band plays in the corner, some rousing melody that Sasha doesn’t recognize but that’s got her tapping her foot regardless.

She shuffles back and forth in her chair, pulling at the edge of her tailcoat. It’s a bit too tight; she’d only been able to fit seven knives in the coat instead of the usual twelve, but Hamid had looked so happy when handing it to her before the dinner that she hadn’t had the heart to turn him down. Plus, they’d been running late anyways (Hamid’s fault, as usual), so Sasha had just taken it, changed, and then they’d been off to the fancy dinner that Sasha hadn’t really wanted to go to. 

It’s just her and Hamid for this mission. Cel’s back at the inn - they’d had an unfortunate run-in with some acid in their lab the other day, and are still laid up and recovering. Zolf, Grizzop, and Azu are heading to a different event, leaving Sasha and Hamid infiltrating this one as best they can. Maybe they should have all stuck together, but they have a limited amount of time before the warlock... Sasha forgets, actually, if this one is trying to end the world or just trying to turn everyone into an undead monster so that he can rule it? It’s definitely  _ one  _ of the two, she thinks, but they’ve been taking down an evil person whose intent is to do as much harm as possible once every few days recently, so she thinks she has a bit of leeway for forgetting.

Turns out, when you save the world multiple times, everyone’s happy to hire you. Wilde is still functionally their handler, but he’s distracted by Meritocratic business in this… post-Meritocratic world. Sasha still isn’t completely sure how the government had changed after they’d found the cure for the infection and distributed it to the masses. She’s just happy to keep working with her friends and maybe get a few nice new knives along the way (or more than a few, but what Zolf doesn’t know won’t get her a disappointed look.

Still, as uncomfortable as she is, there's a strange sense of familiarity here. Formal events aren’t new to her, after all; Eldarion had forced her to go to enough of them as a teenager that Sasha wasn’t  _ unfamiliar  _ with all the customs (she just sometimes wishes she were). Plus, it’s easier for her to avoid notice when she’s doing everything  _ correctly,  _ so everything correctly she does. (Plus, it's funny to see the look on Hamid’s face when she effortlessly picks up the correct utensil each time without fail.) She examines the knives a bit more closely than the rest, but they’re just as falsely elegant as the rest of this place is, a pretty picture wrapped up in a lie. Wouldn’t even be worth nicking them, honestly; they’d shatter in a heartbeat. 

“Yes, thank you!” Hamid is saying to some older woman who’s been monopolising his time for the past twenty minutes. They’re sharing a table with a few people Sasha doesn’t know, who seem friendly enough, but Hamid’s always been the diplomatic one of their group, and most people don’t even try to speak to Sasha. She’s okay with that, honestly; gives her more of a chance to be watching the room for anything suspicious.

She moves the food around on her plate, waiting as a few of the people around the table take a few bites. They don't immediately keel over, and seem to be fine, so Sasha takes a few bites for herself. It’s delicious; she doesn’t know why she expected anything different, honestly, considering how expensive everything else is, and she’s not complaining. 

The dinner continues on like that, Hamid charming everyone around them while Sasha keeps a close eye on anyone who seems odd. The rest of the night itself is dull and drab, although the food more than makes up for it. Sasha is tense through most of it, waiting for the other shoe to drop at any moment; Hamid seems to be as on-edge as he ever is, even if he’s gotten a bit better at hiding it. Still, Sasha’s known him for long enough that she knows his tells, and the way he keeps tucking his hair behind his ears and rubbing his thumb and index finger together rapidly is a clear enough indication. 

It doesn’t come off in his voice at all, though; she’s proud of how far he’s come, that he can hide all the stress in his tone behind a veneer of calm. She’d brag about having taught him that, but that’s something he’s learned all on his own. 

In the end, nothing goes off at all, and Sasha can’t help the annoyance at having been wrong. That doesn’t mean Sasha lets her guard down, even as people begin to exit the party, saying long and florid goodbyes. Her shoulders are still tense as she watches everyone slowly trickle out, and at her side, Hamid seems like he’s anticipating a last-minute move with the way his eyes keep scanning the room. 

When everyone is finally gone, Sasha pulls him into a darker corner of the mansion, hidden conveniently by a large statue of someone she doesn’t recognise. Hamid leans back against the wall and runs a hand through his hair; he must cast prestidigitation while doing so, because it immediately looks cleaner and neater, nearly sparkling, when his hand drops back to his side.

“Did you notice anything at all?” he asks Sasha, crossing his arms over his chest. “I thought for a moment one of the waitstaff was suspicious, but I think I was just desperate to see  _ something _ .”

Sasha shakes her head. “Think this might have been a miss,” she says.

“Okay. I’ll give the others a call,” Hamid says, chewing on his cheek and pulling the mobile stone out of his pack. 

He closes his eyes for a moment and the stone lights up, a dull blue, and Sasha glances left and right to make sure that no one is wandering about nearby or eavesdropping. She doesn’t spot anyone, but keeps an eye out as Hamid cups the stone close to his mouth, speaking quietly. 

“Azu? Are you there?” 

The stone crackles for a moment, and then turns a light green.  _ “Hamid?”  _ Azu asks on the other side, also talking in a hushed tone.  _ “Are you and Sasha alright?” _

“Yes, we’re fine,” Hamid reassures her. “We think this was a dead end. Nothing happened on our end. Did you three have more luck?” 

_ “Not really. It seems he wasn’t striking at either of the parties,”  _ Azu says. Her voice comes through the mobile stone, a little staticky but otherwise audible.  _ “We’ll have to re-examine this tomorrow.” _

Sasha swears under her breath as the dagger she’s balancing on her finger tilts too far, toppling over. “Sorry,” she mutters, when Hamid gives her a look, but he just sighs and shakes his head fondly. 

“Alright,” Hamid says, looking despondent. “We’ll see you back at the inn?” 

_ “Yes. We should be there in a few minutes,” _ Azu says, and then she sighs. “ _ Grizzop, please, don’t -“ _ The stone cuts off on that note, and Hamid and Sasha share a sidelong glance, both a little too familiar with how frustrated and impatient Grizzop can get after a failed mission.

“Well,” Hamid says as he tucks the stone back into his pack. “At least the dinner was nice.” It’s clear he’s annoyed with the whole situation, even if he’s not saying so outright.

“Yeah, er - meat pie was… alright. Good. Dessert was fun,” she says, and then pokes him in the side. “Had all the ladies falling over you, mate.”

Hamid laughs, but there’s not a lot of humor in it. “Yes, I suppose there is that,” he says. “That actually - yes, thank you, Sasha, that helped a bit.”

Sasha gives him a thumbs up and then peeks back around the statue, scanning the hallway. They slip out the front door after she’s made sure the coast is clear; all the waitstaff are back in the kitchen, and they’d already seen all the guests leave. It’s easy enough to silently pull open the door and usher Hamid through before slipping out after him. She shuts the door behind her, and then they both start to head down the long staircase leading up to the manor from the street below. Sasha overtakes Hamid, but not by much, as they come to a landing. 

“Do you think Wilde will have a new location for us tomorrow?” Hamid asks, and Sasha shrugs. 

“Should do. Be shocked if he didn’t have a backup ready for us even now. Zolf’s not going to be best pleased we had two busts, though.” 

Hamid hums quietly in agreement. “We didn’t -“ he cuts himself off with a cry, and Sasha whips around, spotting him slipping on a rock that had been left on the stairs. He starts to tumble, falling face first toward the next step, and that’s when Sasha moves on instinct. She leaps up the stairs, just in time for Hamid to collide with her chest and knock her back against the railing. Sasha wraps her arms around him, breathing coming quick as the panic begins to settle. 

“Oh my  _ gods _ ,” Hamid says, breathing quickly. “I - I didn’t - these are new shoes, they’re more slippery than I - thank you, Sasha!”

“No worries, mate,” she says, but doesn’t let him go just yet. For a minute there, she could see him toppling over the bannister, and even though she knows he can cast fly, there was a moment where she thought he would crash to the street below. “Look, er - look where you’re stepping, yeah?”

She glances down as she notices a slight breeze on her side, and notices that Hamid’s hands have turned to claws again, ripping through her tailcoat as she catches him. Hamid seems to notice it at the same moment she does, and the claws disappear (along with some of the more dragon-like features he’s showing)

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Hamid says, scrambling out of Sasha’s grip and to his feet. “And I got your new tailcoat, too.” 

He looks despondent, staring at the tear, and Sasha presses both pieces of the fabric together. “It’s - I’m sure it’s fine, Hamid,” she says, trying to sound more disappointed than she feels, but Hamid just shakes his head.

“I’ll fix it for you, I promise,” he insists, and snaps. The rip in the seam mends itself, slowly stitching itself back together, and Hamid beams up at her.

“Er - cheers, Hamid,” Sasha says, glancing down at the unbroken fabric. “Thought I’d gotten out of it,” she mumbles, and Hamid cocks his head to look at her.

“Sorry, what? I didn’t catch that,” he asks, shaking his head.

“Nothing, nothing,” Sasha says hastily, and then starts to head down the steps. Hamid following along a bit more slowly. “Are, er - you alright?” 

“Oh, yes!” Hamid says, catching up to walk at her side. “I’m - yes, thank you, again. I didn’t… wasn’t watching.”

“S’alright. Glad you didn’t take a tumble,” she says, quietly, and Hamid nods. 

They finally make it down to the street, walking in a comfortable silence. The street lamps are still lit up, although some are starting to slowly die out the closer they get to the inn. 

“Right. Bets on Zolf sulking by the time we get back?” Sasha asks, nudging Hamid in the shoulder as they start to walk back to the inn they’ve been staying at for the past few days. He laughs, delicately covering his mouth with his hand.

“Oh, I won’t bet against you for  _ that _ . How about Grizzop storming off for some training?” 

Sasha shakes her head. “Too easy. Be more surprised if he weren’t training.”

“A fair point,” Hamid concedes, tapping his chin. Sasha thinks for a moment herself, considering, and then snaps her fingers. 

“Bet the first bath that Grizzop’s threatening to shoot one of Zolf’s Campbell novels again,” she says, smile spreading across her face, and Hamid laughs, the gleam of competition in his eyes.

“You’re  _ on.” _

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments always appreciated !


End file.
